Talk:Don't Look Back/@comment-24435238-20150826073408
There's something I wanna put my 2 cents in regarding the PLL reveal (only a small part of my thoughts on the finale, which will be explained later). And that's the criticism that PLL has managed to reinforce transgenders as mentally unstable. Lemme start from the beginning before I talk about that. I understand 100% that the representation PLL has displayed is problematic af. Other than Adam Torres, Unique (Glee), Sophia (OITNB) and Cole (The Fosters), I can't think of any other fictional transgender characters. They are a very underlooked group, and a huge target of hate. Transgenders are just trying to be recognized and accepted in the world. And they should feel comfortable living the way they want. And especially with more attention being brought to the trans community (with Caitlyn Jenner's coming out), it's only appropriate that fiction reflect real life and have more representation. But with this representation comes education. For such a marginalized group, it isn't enough for trans characters to just exist on a tv show. That's why Degrassi and The Fosters and OITNB and Glee have all had their characters go through struggle of acceptance, being victims of physical harm, etc. It is to educate people about the life of a trans person. Hell, I didn't know anything about them until Adam came along, and now I am much more informed. So is it problematic that PLL used their only trans character as one of the biggest tv villains of the past decade, especially when that character is associated with mental instability and illness? Yes. People are still not accepting of transgenders and this could make them use CeCe as an example to represent all transgenders (and those people are fucking IDIOTS because clearly not all trans people are A). But the argument I'm seeing isn't so much poor representation. But it's that PLL I reinforcing that the trans community is suffering from mental illness. But this isn't true, as any person with even the smallest bit of sense knows. And PLL has not ONCE said that CeCe being trans is due to a mental illness. CeCe's instability stems from being sent to a mental institute by your own family as a child. From never seeing your father for over a decade because he is ashamed of you. For only seeing your siblings, who you ADORE, once in over a decade. From experiencing your best friend kill someone, and then blame you. From being doped up on drugs for over a decade for a murder you didn't commit. From spending day and night in a hospital with people of varying mental conditions. This is what lead to CeCe's instability. Not being transgender. PLL isn't saying all transgenders are suffering from a mental illness. But mental illness due to the aforementioned factors isn't discriminatory. Transgenders aren't except from mental illness; they're human. Like I said, the direction they took was problematic in the case that trans representation is very rare. But it isn't reinforcing the notion that being transgender is a mental disorder. And can I also go back to my point about education? Since when was PLL excepted to educate/avoid having a trans character being a villain since just about anybody has the opportunity of being A? PLL deals with stalkers and murders and in Ravenswood's case, the supenatural. The only time they've taken an actual societal issue was with Emily's sexuality, which was primarily used as blackmail by A. And especially since homosexuality is extremely common on tv, PLL didn't need to educate the viewers. However, with a trans character that ISN'T A (let' say CeCe wasn't A), they'd be OBLIGATED to have an educational storyline, especially since it doesn't fit with the A storyline, because it is so missed out in fiction. Am I making any sense? I mean, PLL didn't manage to make us sympathetic for CeCe, especially regarding her transphobic father, so in a sense we WERE taught that transgenders need to be loved and accepted. But if CeCe weren't A, then PLL would need to spend time educating viewers about transgenders, which they don't do. That's not this show. Which is why they don't tackle other issues such as sexual assault, racism, etc. Unless it fits with the A storyline. I'm not too sure how to conclude this since I was all over the place, but that's my opinion on this. Overall, I was content with the reveal because I was thrown off guard, and it ws definitely something shocking for tv.